7 Ways to Unrealistically Boost WWE Raw Ratings

Idea No: 4 – The Unholy Roman Empire

SWERVE ALERT!

This article was just a build to convince Roman Reigns to be turned heel, even though this has already been written about 14,631 times.

There is nothing wrong with being predictable if it is the right thing to do. When Seth Rollins went down with injury last month, Sam Roberts, on a bonus, special edition podcast, laid out a brilliant booking plan for literally the next year plus of WWE programming. Fans were excited. I was captivated. What was at the core of the strategy? Turning Roman heel.

Triple H may have teased that direction on the following Raw, but WWE needs that top level babyface and Roman Reigns is more than adequate. Yet as a heel, Reigns would have the makings of being transcendent and extremely buzzworthy. He could return to his dark, brooding Shield self with minimal dialogue and bro time with the Usos, and maximal aggression and disdain for the fans. There is nothing wrong with showing a former babyface reach a breaking point and then snap. See Anakin Skywalker.

Many wrestling pundits appropriately defend Roman as a great human being, a strong worker and charismatic person when he doesn’t have to worry about a script. However, Roman has a script, he is offensively attractive and he is not the Cesaro/Daniel Bryan/Dolph Ziggler workhorse that hardcore fans have fawned over.

Each week of smiling Roman is fingernails down a blackboard not because it is agonizing to watch, but because it is adequate to watch. Fans over 25 don’t look back on the Attitude Era as adequate. We look back on it as must-see TV, regardless of how well we knew how to program a VCR.

Give us evil Roman, g-dammit! (We’ll even settle for evil Cena.)

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